The blog of author Betsy Kerekes

The Chex Mix meets its end

I recently started taking Chex Mix with me to parties–a sure fire way of being invited back. Since there were a lot of parties for the holidays, I ran out and hit my local store to replenish my supplies. The Chex Mix Guy (CMG) had ordered a box of both Cheddar and Honey Nut for me back in October, housing them in his office, while I slowly chipped away at them.

Crying Chex Mix

Amidst the regular shopping I did first, I glanced down at the Chex Mix shelf and saw, amongst the black and blue of Bold and Boring (aka Traditional) the golden hues of my sacred flavors.

Betrayal!

I marched to the customer service desk and asked the lady to call CMG’s office. She got him on the phone and relayed the message: “A customer wants to know if you put out all of her Chex Mix.”

Here I’m grinning stupidly, thinking this must be one of the most bizarre statements this woman has ever made. That, and I’m imagining what CMG’s reaction must be.

After a pause, she says, “Okay,” hangs up, and tells me, “He’ll be right down.”

I head toward the nearby doorway leading to The Back and have barely reached it when CMG comes scurrying out.

“You told me months ago that I should put it out,” he says as we walk toward the snack aisle. Two boxes, at 12 bags each, was a bit much even for me to handle.

“I know,” I say, not reminding him that I said some of it. “But did you have to put all of it out?”

This, times two. I can see how that could get annoying.

“I got tired of having the boxes under my desk.”

Fine.

“And we were told to clear stuff out.”

Hmm. Sure. Reading between the lines, I’m hearing: “I am so over you and this stuff.”

“I only put it out a week ago, and look, no one wants it.”

How dare he? I crouch down to retrieve all of my poor orphaned children, cuddling them close and whispering, “You’ll be home soon.” There were 11 left, which means three were bought by strangers.

I mourn them still.

Though the bags were safely cradled in my arms, CMG decides, out of good customer service, chivalry, or both, to carry them for me. As he’s grabbing them, many are falling on the floor. Fortunately, we were both crouching since they were housed on the bottom shelf. Rude! Still, every time he went to pick one up, another fell.

Thud! Thud! Thud! … Thud! Thud!

Perhaps I should be rending my garments over the plight (and flight) of my poor babies, but instead I’m cracking up because this is straight up comedy. A quick glance at CMG’s face, however, and my laughter dies on my lips with one last strangled “Mmmph” when I see that he is not amused.

He wrangles the protesting bags and heads toward the check stands. I help out by carrying… one bag. He dumps them on the conveyor belt, and when they roll to the end, the bagger girl says, “I didn’t know we carried Honey Nut.”

“Not any more,” CMG and I say in unison.

Five bags later: “We carry Cheddar too?”

CMG and me: “Not any more,” though he seems to say it with far more enthusiasm than I do.

And so the last of my Chex Mix came home, thus ending the tale of The Chex Mix Guy.

Home at last.

The next night I tore a bag open for our inaugural Game Night of 2020. It was reduced to crumbs by the end.

One bag down.

I also opened a bottle of champagne, saying, “This is in honor of our first game night of the year and not because we forgot to open it on New Year’s Eve.”

Do you think they bought that?

The champagne was well spent, as we had one of the best nights ever. So many jokes and laughter reducing some to literal tears. I’ve resolved to host a game night every month and not just because it means my house will get a thorough cleaning. The Chex Mix won’t last all year, but it will have a good run.

My other New Year’s resolution is to leave the poor Chex Mix Guy alone.

Chex Mix without a CMG seems so sad and wrong to me. And yet…. Strawberry and Dark Chocolate you say?? I may have to check that out! Shh. Don’t tell the babies in my pantry. I don’t want them to get jealous.

Thanks, Jacqui! I should be good for a little while, but I’ll keep this in mind. I actually know of another store in my area that has these better flavors. I just don’t shop their often/ever. I guess when I see CM on sale THERE, I’ll have to. Maybe I’ll create a new monster. I mean, CMG. 🙂

I think at some point in the future you will pass each other, both taking a second look, grin. But continue on your ways thinking “why do I know that person…..” and have a strong desire for Chex Mix. Then, it will hit you both.

What games have you been playing on game nights? Just wondering. Wondering in particular whether pro writers like you tend toward word games, or whether you’d consider them a busman’s holiday.

Also, we were probably over this ground when this started but…you know Chex Mix started merely as a recipe on the cereal box, many years before they thought to supply it as such, let alone with flavor variants. Are the flavor variant recipes trade secrets, or did they publish those too? I’m sure you could train your monkeys…I mean, fine children…to produce more. You might even use real butter rather than the oleo I’m guessiing Ralston uses.

This past game night we played Tripoley. We’ve done Apples to Apples, Balderdash, Pictionary, Hoopla… I forget what else. I do love word games, though. Each game takes a while because there’s always a lot of chatter and laughter in the midst of it.

We could make it ourselves, but, ugh. Sounds like a lot of work! It was far more fun getting it from the CMG. 🙂

That’s an awesome story that had me laughing pretty hard 🤣 thank you for that 🙌 believe me you’re not alone in bothering chip companies. My fiancee had me complain to Frito Lay about her Cheetos mix ups not being available in our area anymore and she was pregnant so it was bad 😅 sadly we didn’t get her chips but did get a ton of coupons for free bags of chips lol 👍

Betsy, I feel like I’m missing out! Never heard of Chex Mix before but now I have a hankering for them! 😀

A great post and I was laughing away as you both picked up the packets … and all the other customers starting to comment on the varieties! Happy party evenings … with champagne these sound the perfect mix!😀

OMG! We’re halfway through Jan and I’m still trying to catch up. Sigh. Poor CM guy. I’ll bet he’ll miss your CM banter 😀 You know, you can make your own chex mix. No, really! And I’ll bet the girls would love to help 😀 My BIL’s wife made chex mix for everyone this year. (of course, the family joke was my father-in-law’s CM, which we always suspected was something like sourdough, the leftovers added to the new batch.)

Yes, other helpful Blog Buddies have suggested I try making my own. They’ve also sent links for buying it online. What’s the fun in that when I can’t be bugging anyone in the process, says I? 😉 Nice to see you again, Julie. Glad you’re able to come up for air! 🙂

I really like your blog. A pleasure to come stroll on your pages. A great discovery and very interesting blog. I come back to visit you. Do not hesitate to visit my universe. A soon. Angelilie from Paris.

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